Thill-coupling.



Nd. 747,041. PATENTED DEC. 15, 1903K. 0. 0. BRADLEY.

THILL COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 1, 1903.

no MODEL 123% 7 liimwmw iii/1mm are dramas OH RISTOPHER O. BRADLEY,

Patented December 15, 1903.

OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

T'HILL COUPLING.

fgPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,041, dated December 15, 1903.

Application filedAngust 1, 1903- Serial N0.16'7,868. (No model.)

To all whom it inn/y concern:

Be itknown that I, CHRISTOPHER O. BRAD- LEY, of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Thin-Couplings, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in thill-couplings in which the coupling-pin is provided with an annular groove in which is seated a suitable packing of leather or similar material, the object being to provide a narrow antirattling-bushing upon the coupling-pin which is engaged by the jaws of the draft-eye, whereby the draft-eye and thillcoupling are free to rock upon each other, both circu mfereutially and laterally.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a thill-coupling embodying the features of my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are perspective views of the thill-iron and coupling-pin, showing the packing in operative position in Fig. 2 and removed in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 4 4, Fig. 1, showing the coupling-pin in elevation. Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views, respectively,of the detached packing-ring and its retaining-spring.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings I have shown a thillcoupling consisting of a draft-eye 1, a

couplingpin 2, and a packing 3. The drafteye preferably consists of a fixed jaw 4 and a movable jaw 5, hinged at 6 to the front end of the fixed jaw. A link 7 is detachably engaged with the free end of the jaw5 forholding it in its operative position, the lower end of said link being pivotally connected to a lever 8, which latter is fulcrumed at 9 to'the free end of a spring 10, said spring, together with the fixed jaw 4, being secured in any well-known manner to an axle 11.

The jaws 4 and 5 are provided with inner or adjacent concave substantially spherical bearing-faces l2,which engage the periphery of the packing-ring when the jaws are in operative position.

The coupling-pin 2 is provided with an enlarged spherical knuckle 13, havinga substantially central annular groove 14 for receiving the packing 3. This packing preferably con-- sists of a narrow annular ring of leather or similar material, split longitudinally through one of its sides and placed in the groove 14 of the knuckle 13, said ring being of substantially the same width as the groove and abuts against the side walls of said groove, which prevents its lateral displacement; but the thickness of the ring is slightly greater than the depth of the groove, so as to project radially beyond the spherical surface of the knuckle 13. The object of this is to provide a narrow bearing for the jaws and to hold said jaws outof contact with the metal coupling-pin, so that said coupling-pin and jaws are free to rock upon each other circumferentially or transversely without liability of bringing the metallic parts into contact, and by making the packing-ring narrow it is evident that the friction incidental to the rocking movement of one of the parts upon the other is reduced to a minimum and still the device retains all the strength of the coupling-pin and jaws.

A retaining member consisting of a split spring-ring 15 is sprung open and placed upon the periphery of the packing to hold it in its seat in the groove 14 and to prevent as far as possible the distortion of the packing While the coupling is in use.

In assembling the parts of the coupling the split packing-ring 3 is sprungopen and placed upon the spherical knuckle 13 in the groove 14, and the spring-retainer 15 is then similarly placed upon the periphery of the packingring, after which the coupling-pin, with the packing thereon, is placed between the open jaws,and the jaws are then closed and locked by means of the link 7 and lever 8.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a thill-coupling the combination with a draft-eye, of a coupling-pin having an annular groove and a packing inserted in the groove and projecting slightly beyond the periphery of the pin.

2. In a thill-coupling, a draft-eye and a coupling-pin, one of the parts havingan annular groove in combination with a packing-ring inserted in and of greaterthickness than the depth of the groove for holding the contiguous faces of the draft-eye and coupling-pin packing-ring arranged in the groove and proont of contact. jecting slightly beyond the periphery of the 3. A thin-coupling comprising a draft-eye knuckle. having spherical bearing-faces, a coupling- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my 5 pin having a spherical knuckle formed with hand this 29th day of July, 1903.

an annular groove and a packin -rin arranged in the groove g b CHRISTOPHER 0. BRADLEY. 4. A thill-coupling comprising adraft-eye, Witnesses:

a coupling-pin having a spherical knuckle HOWARD P. DENISON, 10 formed with an annular groove and a split MILDRED M. NOTT. 

